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[Congressional Bills 114th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Res. 267 Introduced in House (IH)]

114th CONGRESS
  1st Session
H. RES. 267

  Expressing support for the designation of May as National Lacrosse 
                                 Month.

_______________________________________________________________________

                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                              May 15, 2015

   Mr. Ruppersberger (for himself, Mrs. Watson Coleman, Ms. Brown of 
Florida, Mr. Hastings, Mr. Heck of Nevada, and Mr. Dold) submitted the 
following resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Energy and 
                                Commerce

_______________________________________________________________________

                               RESOLUTION

 
  Expressing support for the designation of May as National Lacrosse 
                                 Month.

Whereas lacrosse is the fastest-growing sport in the United States, with every 
        segment of the game showing growth and more than half of the players 
        competing at the youth level, for individuals who are 15 years of age or 
        younger;
Whereas, since 2010, the number of high schools sponsoring boys' and girls' 
        lacrosse has increased by 34 percent and 36 percent, respectively, and 
        the number of colleges sponsoring men's and women's National Collegiate 
        Athletic Association (NCAA) lacrosse has increased by 34 percent and 38 
        percent, respectively;
Whereas there are increasing opportunities to participate in professional 
        lacrosse for men and for post-collegiate club and international play for 
        both men and women;
Whereas lacrosse is a unique team sport with physiological demands including 
        endurance, speed, strength, agility, and sport-specific skills;
Whereas US Lacrosse is the national governing body of men's and women's 
        lacrosse;
Whereas US Lacrosse is a nonprofit corporation and has more than 430,000 members 
        in 67 regional chapters in 45 States across the United States;
Whereas, through responsive and effective leadership, US Lacrosse provides 
        programs and services to inspire participation while protecting the 
        integrity of the sport;
Whereas US Lacrosse is actively engaged in numerous interventions focused on 
        reducing the risk of injury in both men's and women's lacrosse, and has 
        been recognized among the national sports medicine community for its 
        collaboration and proactivity in this regard;
Whereas the board of US Lacrosse established the Sports Science and Safety 
        Committee in 1999 to serve as a source of lacrosse sport safety 
        education for the entire lacrosse community;
Whereas the Sports Science and Safety Committee, using existing sports medicine 
        literature and new research initiatives, seeks to grow the body of 
        lacrosse safety knowledge in order to objectively advise US Lacrosse and 
        the lacrosse community on factors that may enhance the safety and 
        quality of experience in the sport of lacrosse at all levels;
Whereas, led by the Sports Science and Safety Committee, US Lacrosse has 
        committed significant resources toward the study, understanding, and 
        analysis of injuries in men's and women's lacrosse throughout the 16-
        year history of the Committee;
Whereas, from video analysis studies to head acceleration research, US Lacrosse 
        has funded and sought greater understanding of concussion injury 
        mechanisms;
Whereas, given the incidence and importance of head injury in the sport of 
        lacrosse, US Lacrosse has developed a Concussion Management Plan that 
        contains guidelines for teams, clubs, and leagues to consider and 
        requires all US Lacrosse Gold Stick organizations to have a concussion 
        management plan;
Whereas US Lacrosse and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) 
        have partnered to develop a number of educational resources regarding 
        concussions that contain practical, easy-to-use information designed to 
        help reduce the numbers of this type of injury;
Whereas US Lacrosse believes that a safe and positive playing experience starts 
        by knowing the rules and how to appropriately and effectively coach, 
        officiate, and play the game;
Whereas, through its certified training programs to ensure athlete safety, US 
        Lacrosse commits significant resources to the proper training of 
        officials and coaches for both men's and women's lacrosse;
Whereas US Lacrosse, in concert with safety and medical experts, constantly 
        evaluates its game rules and equipment requirements to ensure athlete 
        safety, including through actions such as revising its rules to increase 
        the limitations on body contact in youth boys' lacrosse;
Whereas, in January 2012, US Lacrosse established a task force with ASTM 
        International's Committee F-8 on Sports Equipment and Facilities to 
        create a standard for women's lacrosse headgear that provides an 
        appropriate level of protection, does not increase the risk of injuries 
        to other players, and maintains the rules, culture, and traditions of 
        this unique women's sport;
Whereas there have been no reported catastrophic or severe brain injuries in 
        women's lacrosse as of the end of April 2015, and although stick and 
        ball impacts are the most common mechanism of concussive injury in 
        women's lacrosse, head injuries and concussions in women's lacrosse 
        occur less frequently than in women's soccer or ice hockey;
Whereas, although body-to-body impacts are the most prevalent mechanism of head 
        injury in men's lacrosse, head injuries and concussions in men's 
        lacrosse occur less frequently than in football or ice hockey; and
Whereas US Lacrosse continues to fund and lead research, develop programs, and 
        work to educate its membership to ensure the safety of all participants 
        in both men's and women's lacrosse: Now, therefore, be it
    Resolved, That the House of Representatives--
            (1) supports National Lacrosse Month; and
            (2) commends the leadership and programming efforts of US 
        Lacrosse to raise awareness, prevent injuries, and increase 
        overall safety across all levels of the game of lacrosse.
                                 <all>
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